


Gym Class Heroes

by coffeecreme



Series: Gym Class Heroes [1]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, I have no comprehensive plot yet guys sorry, M/M, OT6, Pokemon Au!, Recreational Drug Use, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-05
Updated: 2016-07-05
Packaged: 2018-07-21 15:19:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7392829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coffeecreme/pseuds/coffeecreme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So take a step back and a breath in<br/>Let it out now, put your chin up<br/>You can do it, tiger, you a man now<br/>And in your dream it's time to do the best you can now</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Telltale Signs of an Idiot

**Author's Note:**

> Just please kill me now guys
> 
> Pokemon won't be the main focus of this story so sorry if that's what you want. This is just a highschool au with a slight pokemon twist in it!

Children from broken homes tend to find each other. This isn’t so much of a concept as much as it’s a fact, a fact well known in the circles that these broken and fragile children roam. They know it, maybe not consciously, but once those whispered words see the light of day (“they’re divorced” “I don’t have a dad” “my mums….’away’ “) a sense of dread seems to lift off their shoulders knowing that they aren’t alone. For six kids in particular, and then some, this was especially true. 

Ray woke up earlier than normal, with a strange feeling. Then again for someone with no parents floating around the system, this was kind of standard for him. As bitterly as he’d realized it, he sighed and sat up in the too stark, too clean bed and looked around. He could hear people moving about downstairs, that wasn’t strange at this point in time. Well, this time it kind of was. He’d almost grown used to the people housing him sleeping in after the last house he was in. Before he knew it there was a pawing at his door, and a glameow made its way into the room. 

It’d take him a while getting used to that - seeing a cat pokemon in the house. For some odd reason, all the other houses he’d been in were fans of birds or dogs. He was more used to stoutland’s and pidgey roaming the house than he was anything else. Staring down the pokemon, who had jumped to the edge of his bed, he sighed and slowly got up, looking around briefly before tugging out the suitcase from under his bed. He dressed quietly and quickly, shoving his 3ds into the pocket of his hoodie, and crept down the stairs quietly. This family seemed particularly averse to loud noises and dirty things, which is why his backpack and shoes were so far away from his room. This kind of irritated him, but hey he didn’t really have control did he? 

Peering into the kitchen he watched as the other foster kid - sorry _adopted_ kid ate at the table, some sort of fruit? He was eating it with a spoon which just weirded Ray out. Grapefruit or something? Whatever. He crept forward slightly, still rubbing sleep from his eyes, glases pushed to his forehead. His foster mother - Mrs. Vega - smiled at him from her position humming at the stove. 

“Morning Ray! How about some breakfast, you like eggs?”

Ray muttered an affirmative, and Mrs. Vega chuckled good naturedly before serving him a plate. In order to avoid awkward small talk Ray shoved as much of the food in his mouth as possible without choking, and kept a watch of the clock hanging above the fridge. He wanted to get out of this situation as quickly as possible, as painlessly as possible. Of course it wasn’t their fault, the kid was fine and Mrs. Vega was lovely, but there was something wrong with Ray that never left him in one home for very long. That’s how it had always been for one reason or another, and he didn’t want to get too comfortable before he was forced out once more. It was one of the reasons he never unpacked, never let himself get too cozy in a single house. Sadly, he had foolishly thought the last house would be it since he’d been there for about 2 years. He should have guessed that something would go wrong though, that he’d end up shuffled again once the last household decided they wanted to adopt a baby, and not keep the teen.

Part of him thought it was unfair, another part of him just accepted it as a reality. 

He came back to himself before his fork could scrape against his empty plate and he stood, laying it gently in the sink and weakly smiling at Mrs. Vega’s beaming grin before slipping out of the kitchen and shoving his shoes on his feet. He politely informed her he’d be leaving early as he watched the adopted kid (what was his name again?) get ready, and left quickly without awaiting an answer. Today was kind of a big day, and everyone seemed a bit on edge with the ability to sense it. The glameow from before wound around his legs momentarily before darting off outside and toward the neighbor's yard. He clicked the door closed behind him and glanced in either direction, staring down the Tauros in the next yard for a moment, and eyeing the Stantler in the next before heading down the street toward his new school.

-

Gavin was much more excited than anyone he really knew about today. He practically jumped out of bed and got himself ready, ignoring the empty house around him and the notes plastered on the fridge with age old apologies and money for dinner. He stuffed the bills in his wallet and shoved it in his pocket, practically skipping outside and across the street to slam into the door, twisting the knob and letting himself in with a loud crow. The banging of pots and pans in the kitchen alerted him to a presence and he sauntered in, smiling at the woman there. She gleamed back at him, motioning to the table where a stack of pancakes sat.

“If you wake up Geoff you can eat.”

Gavin gasped in reverence, eyes wide and shining as he took off upstairs to wake up Geoff.

“Thanks D!”

Gavin crept into Geoff’s room, watching the pile of blankets on the bed shift slightly with his even breathing. Stalking ever so closer he crept to the edge of the bed, suddenly and very loudly squawking and jumping on top of Geoff, who yelled out with alarm and grunted before rolling over violently and landing on the floor. Stunned for a moment and listening to nothing but the sound of Gavin’s hysteric laughter, he stood up and scowled at the brit. 

“Dude are you fucking kidding me? I’m gonna get you for that!”

The sleepy eyed teen was about ready to pounce on the younger before Gavin yelped in alarm and ran out of the room, bolting down the stairs and bouncing off the wall before running for the kitchen. Geoff, knowing he lost the battle already, simply sighed and dressed himself for the school day before heading his way downstairs. He approached the young woman at the sink, cleaning pans, and kissed her cheek. His cousin was a lifesaver for taking him until he could graduate and get a place of his own, and he liked to make it known.

“Thanks D, this dick give you any trouble?”

“Oi that’s mean Geoff!”

D shook her head with a small laugh and motioned for the two to eat, smiling slightly at the sight of the two boys at the table. She took her own plate and took her still pajama clad tush up to her bedroom where she could eat in relative silence. Meanwhile the other two polished off the stack of pancakes with minimal fuss and with feeding pieces of bacon to D’s poochyena Bindi, who took each piece with a gentle mouth and a fervor that amused the two males to no end. Eventually all sleepy things must come to an end, and with little flourish the two stacked the dishes in the sink and made their way out the door to pick up their friends. 

“Geoff aren’t you excited?”

“About what?”

“Wot? Wot!? Today you minge!”

“What happens today again?”

“We pick out our starter pokemon you tosspot!”

“Holy shit I forgot all about that.”

“Bloody hell Geoff how do you even remember to put on shoes??”

Geoff jumped into his car, unlocking it for Gavin before starting the engine and sighing. He rubbed his face and pulled out of the driveway, black paint gleaming in the sunlight. The car was beat up, but still usable, and in decent condition. How could Geoff had forgotten? Not that it mattered much to him in general, he already had his pokemon. A pretty little snubbul that he took with him everywhere, still sleeping peacefully in her pokeball strapped to his belt. Him Ryan and Jack had gotten theirs the year previous, being seniors now. He’d been so glad to choose his own pokemon, having been jealous of D for years until he could finally claim his own. Recent years had lessened the idea of battling pokemon as a career and instead allowed the use of pokemon in schools and other such institutions as companions meant to teach children the ethics of responsibility and companionship. While they still learned the basics in school, they’d also learned Care 101 and Battling Techniques to help their pokemon grow as well as the kids who owned them. 

Pulling up in front of Ryan’s house the boy was outside already, looking exhausted and exasperated. His miltank was in front of him, arms crossed and looking rather cranky. Geoff honked the horn and Ryan turned to the duo, shrugging his shoulders and throwing his hands in the air.

“Trouble in paradise?”

Geoff remarked with a raised brow. 

“She won’t go in her pokeball! Edgar pleaaasseeeee go in? I’ll let you out as soon as we get to school just please?”

Edgar eyed Ryan disdainfully and gave a snort, finally relenting. Ryan gave a small cry of triumph before tucking the pokeball in his pocket and leaping into the car with a bit of a nervous jitter. Geoff laughed until he was wheezing in the front seat and Gavin grinned back at the taller boy from the front seat. Ryan turned pink from the display his friends had seen but scowled and batted the brit away from him when he tried to ruffle his hair. 

“Can we just go?”

“Fine fine. Come on we still have to pick up Jack and Michael.”

-

Michael was typically a morning person. It was something he somewhat prided himself on, being able to wake up earlier than others and get his shit together before he really needed to, so he had some time to relax. Today though, today was the start of a string of bad days in which his mother was in a particularly bad mood, and bad moods meant bad things. Bad moods meant bruises hard to hide and tears harder to hide, it meant broken dishes and scrubbing at stains for hours and broken bones explained away by accidents at 3am in the ER. He could already hear his mother downstairs bustling around loudly in the kitchen as he stretched, poking at worn and yellowing bruises on his torso and littered across his stomach. 

In the long run it wasn’t so bad, he didn’t have it as bad as some of the other kids he knew. Not as bad as Geoff or Ryan or hell, especially Jack. At least his mother wasn’t dying from Huntington’s. Still sometimes he had to look at his life objectively in order to not suffer from severe panic attacks, and there were a few side effects of this behavior that had bled over into his academic life. Michael was no stranger to fights, enough to get him into even more trouble and the like. While it wasn’t the worst thing he could be doing, he wasn’t sure how else to constructively release all the pent up aggression he felt from being treated so terribly at home. 

Sighing through his nose he slipped his way downstairs once he heard his mother’s door close again. There was no sound in the house other than the muffled noise of the television from his mother’s room. They owned no domestic pokemon, his mother thinking them disgusting creatures, but she couldn’t take this day from him. He was excited yet afraid of what would happen today, I mean starters are a pretty big deal. His mother wouldn’t be able to say no, pokemon were kind of a requirement for students to graduate high school. Their ability to care for another creature was deemed very important, and those relationships would continue outside of the classroom. 

Lacing up his shoes he stepped out of the house, backpack slung over his shoulder just in time to see Geoff roll up with Gavin and Ryan. Grinning to his boi he yelled out some profanities and climbed in the back seat next to Ryan, reaching forward with eager hands to ruffle and mess with Gavin. Ryan and Geoff watched the two scuffle with amusement for a few moments. The two danced around each other so much and had so much pent up tension it was a wonder the two weren’t fucking yet. 

“Alright alright lovebirds break it up and don’t fuck in my car.”

Geoff warned the two before pulling away from the curb, wheezing a laugh as both boys yelped out indignantly. The car ride was filled with pleasant banter as they drove the few blocks and streets it took to get to Jack’s house, but everyone seemed to quiet as they approached the almost pristine yellow house on the corner. Nearly jumping the curb Geoff parked haphazardly and jumped out of the car with a promise to be back, and approached the front door. There was a faint cacophony of noise from inside the house, and nervously Geoff rang the doorbell.

They’d been warned against too much noise, too much sensation. It only seemed to hurt Mrs. Pattillo more than they would intend, but Jack never seemed to mind gentle reminders. The door opened and Geoff was surprised to see not-Jack answer the door. Mrs. Pattillo smiled at Geoff and called back into the house for her son.

“Hello Geoff, nice to see you again.”

“You too Mrs. Pattillo, how are you holding up?”

“Well enough Geoff, well enough.”

The conversation, awkward as it was for Geoff, was mercifully cut short as Jack showed up with toast shoved in his mouth, shrugging on his backpack. The two family members shared a moment of affection before departing, the door closing softly behind Jack. Piling into the car once more the five descended into a quiet chaos that only they could achieve, and bantered on their way to the first day back at Achievement High.

Boy were they in for a surprise.


	2. Cupid's Chokehold (and other ridiculous notions)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And I know it sounds so old  
> But Cupid got me in a choke hold  
> And I'm afraid I might give in  
> Towels on the mat, my white flag is wavin'

The first thing Ray really noticed about his new school, was how _big_ it was. There were kids literally everywhere, and pokemon were equally everywhere as well. It was strange really seeing so many people spilled out into one place, and it seemed as many kids were hanging around outside, there was more inside the actual building. 

Gaping too much though made him a prime target as the new kid for a few tougher looking students.

Next thing he knew he was being corralled toward the side of the building by rough hands, shoved against the wall and sneered at. This wasn’t good of course as he struggled for a moment against his captives, eyes searching out for any other kids who would have noticed him being dragged off. No one seemed to notice, or rather no one tried to make eye contact considering no one was brave enough to take on the meatheads currently bullying the new kid. Their pokemon sat by idly too, what seemed to be a Geodude, a Spearow, and a Pineco. Not precisely the manliest of pokemon now were they? Ray decided to keep his mouth shut, teeth clicking together with the effort it took not to snark them. 

Oh, and when had they started talking to him? He looked up and his eyes met angry hateful brown - icy and cold. He was pretty fucked, he knew this, but he couldn’t help the sigh of relief that came from him in a great whoosh when he saw a blur of red, and one of the kids go down. There was shouting and scuffling and Ray dropped to the ground, crawling away from the scene before being stopped by a sneaker, connected to a leg, obviously connected to a person. Staring for a moment at the canvas shoe in front of him he followed it up the leg and to the person in front of him, a mass of auburn curls and angry brown eyes, but angry in a different way than before. 

Ray didn’t believe in love at first sight. He didn’t. So he felt comfortable saying nothing really happened. No spark, no sudden warmth in his chest. Just a tightness from almost getting hit, and a voice ringing in his ear.

“Hey. You okay?”

Ray nodded dumbly for a moment, before kicking in with his usual snark and smirking to himself, shoving himself off the ground.

“I coulda taken them. Maybe.”

Auburn curls laughed, red stained teeth shining in the sunlight curiously. His nose was bleeding, but the other kids were worse off by far, especially when they got up for another round and a series of older kids approached, followed by a scrawny kid who was….chirping? They seemed to run at the sight of them, and Ray took stock of what the others looked like while Auburn seemed to check him over for injuries. One had sleepy eyes, another was ginger, and the tallest had sandy hair and clear blue eyes. The scrawny kid had a huge nose and wild hair, and was grinning at Auburn and him both before jumping on the kid.

“Michael! My boi! You did it again! You knight in shining armor you!”

Auburn, now officially dubbed Michael, rolled his eyes and shoved the bird kid off him. 

“Shut the fuck up Gavin, you know I hate bullies. So hey, haven’t seen you before, you new? I’m Michael, this idiot’s Gavin. And these assholes are Geoff, Ryan, and Jack.”

He pointed to each of the boys in turn and Ray felt a spike of anxiety run through them as they all stared at him expectantly. Here he was, hands shoved in his pockets and sweating like no tomorrow, gripping his ds in his hands and just praying he could be left alone. While usually he’d built enough of a wall between him and other kids (he wouldn’t be here for long so what was the point) this was….different. These kids were genuinely curious, he could feel it coming off in waves, and Michael had already basically saved him from getting the shit kicked out of him.

So, naturally, he took a leap of faith as his heart threatened to beat through his ribcage. 

“Ray.”

Gavin grinned at him, eyes sparkling as he seemed to drink Ray in. The kid was a cutie that was for sure, and Gavin was no prude or afraid to hide his sexuality. He seemed to suck the boy in, Ray was pulled with them to their usual spot beneath the old oak trees in the corner of the yard, with still a decent amount of time before class started. The three older boys took out their pokeballs, releasing each pokemon in turn. A miltank, espurr, and snubbull for Ryan, Jack, and Geoff respectfully. Ray was a little surprised, this town seemed to value the relationships between people and pokemon more so than any he’d been in before. It was a little shocking, especially knowing he’d be getting his own today. This seemed to only increase his anxiety and he frowned slightly, pulling out his 3ds and ignoring the conversation around him in favor of trying to save Zelda and save the world. Video games were so much easier to deal with than real life sometimes, and the knot in his stomach seemed to slowly go away. 

Until he hear the little “murr?” come from his side. 

He glanced over and nearly jumped, seeing the little Espurr by his side. She seemed curious about his game and with a small glance to Jack (who was no help and who actually smiled encouragingly at him) he showed the screen to the small cat, who squeaked in fascination and practically crawled in his lap to get a better look.

“Aww she likes you”

Jack cooed gently to his pokemon, and Ray felt his face flush as everyone’s gaze turned back to him. Gavin seemed to get offended by that, and squawked. 

“Oi! She doesn’t like _me_ that much!!”

“Gavin that’s because you’re an idiot.”

Geoff wheezed out a laugh as Gavin whined and tackled him off the picnic table under the shade, the two rolling around on the ground with exaggerated shouts. Michael was still nursing his bloody nose with the help of Ryan, who held a wad of tissues to the boy’s nose and rolled his eyes at Geoff and Gavin. A comfortable banter fell over the boys and luckily no teachers came by to get Michael in trouble, as he usually would for fighting. It seemed the other kids were in no mood to be playing games with the principal and Michael preferred it that way, especially with no other major injuries to his own person. 

Still he sat quietly, watching Ray curiously as he continued to play the game with Jack’s pokemon settled in his lap, seeming to be quietly explaining things to her. The Espurr, for what it was worth, was aptly paying attention to the small boy. Michael chewed his lip, glancing at Ryan who gave him a curious look for his staring, and spit blood on the grass. He licked his teeth and yelled out in annoyance as Gavin crashed into him, shouting and yelping as Geoff was attacking him. 

Michael wouldn’t admit it but he kind of believed in love at first sight. Sometimes anyway. 

He felt something with Ray, he could admit it. But it was the same thing he secretly felt for Geoff, the same thing he not so secretly felt for Gavin. The thing he tried to ignore when it came to Jack and Ryan. A deep unsettling feeling of tight affection that rolled and rose like waves in the ocean. He tried to push the feeling away, ignoring the feelings screaming in the back of his head of how Ray belonged. 

“Gavin you fuck get off!”

Gavin was a great distraction. He knew this. So Michael laughed and shoved Gavin around with Geoff, glancing up at the bell rang. He stood, the brit popping up next to him, and the three older students waved to the younger kids and stalked off, pokemon in tow as they ran off to class.

“Hey Ray, you got Pokemon 101 first?”

Ray glanced up at Michael, standing slowly and feeling only a little sad when the Espurr popped off his lap to trail after her companion. 

“Yeah that’s what my time table says. You too?”

“Top Ray! We both have it, we’re getting our starters today so let’s go!”

Gavin grabbed both the boys hands and dragged them through the halls, Ray feeling slight vertigo as they wove between students and down what seemed to be spiraling hallways. Michael rolled his eyes and took Ray’s other hand behind Gavin’s back, frowning at the slightly green look the kid had. Ray looked back at him slightly surprised by the hand holding, but felt his chest tighten at the look of concern on Michael’s face. He ignored it in favor of sharing a slightly snarky smirk and glancing forward as Gavin announced their arrival, walking into the classroom with minimal anxiety. Michael and Gavin headed toward the back, and Ray followed them on instinct, plopping down into an empty chair. He tried to ignore the relatively loud chatter around them as the other students filed in and awaited their teacher’s arrival. 

What he did manage to hear was a series of ridiculous questions that Gavin seemed to be asking Michael, and Michael shrieking at him in kind about how stupid he was. He gently rubbed the edges of his 3ds, finding comfort in the hard plastic, before the teacher finally sauntered in, shutting the door behind her. 

“Alright alright settle down! Today is a very veeeery special day boys and girls! Today you guys get your pokemon, and luckily for you, you are my first class of the day! Now now, settle down. The rules are simple, you go into the next room and 3 pokemon will be randomly generated for you. You pick one, come back here, and sit quietly for the rest of the period. Got it? Good.”

Michael was excited, as well as Gavin, as the two squirmed in their seats. This was a huge day, but Gavin couldn’t seem to keep his gaze off of Ray. Ray seemed a bit less than excited as he glanced around the classroom, pupils thin pinpricks. Gavin scooted his chair closer as names started to get called, unnoticed by the teacher. He drifted his fingers over Ray’s sleeve and Ray jumped in his seat, both Gavin and Michael seeming to snap to attention at their new friend’s skittishness. 

“Oi, you okay Ray?”

“Peachy Gavin. Just….peachy. This goes alphabetical right?”

Gavin grinned widely and nodded, looking toward the front of the room. 

“It’s gonna be top Ray! We get our own pokemon today! Bloody hell I’m excited.”

Michael laughed as Gavin’s name was called, whispering insults as he practically tripped his way into the next room. Gavin rolled his eyes fondly at his Boi, ignoring him as he proudly stalked into the next room, looking at the three pokeballs carefully placed in a small case. He glanced at the info cards for each of the pokemon, eyes lighting up as he saw the one he wanted. A pretty little bird! He grabbed the pokeball and touched the button, the little Fletchling popping out and chirping at him happily. Gavin was excited, no more boring and lonely nights alone in his house waiting for parents who were never there, no more nights crying himself to sleep in fear of the dark. No more nights keeping Geoff awake and bothering Ryan about nonsense. No more thoughts of suicide and wishing he was anywhere else. He had a friend now, a companion that was admittedly probably going to be closer to him than his other friends. 

He cooed and pet the little bird, walking back out into the classroom proudly sauntering to his seat and flopping down. His little bird, now named Egg he proclaimed proudly, fluttered her wings and began to preen. Michael laughed at him, calling him stupid for the name, but a nervousness replaced it when his own name was called. 

He cast a glance to Ray, who was tapping his fingers against the desk but admiring Egg, and stood up slowly. He made his way into the room, heart pounding and bruises aching on his body as he thought about how furious his mother was going to be. He tried to ignore those thoughts, those violent itching things, as he stared down at the three pokeballs presented to him. He glanced at the information cards, battled with himself as he tried to decide what to pick. 

He made a decision at random, scrapping the cards.

The Mienfoo he was greeted with somewhat surprised him, but the pokemon seemed more sleepy and confused than anything. However, upon spotting Michael the little creature stood at attention, cooing gently and raising his arms out.

“Hey there...Mogar? That a good name?”

The Mienfoo chirped happily and followed Michael back out of the room, and Michael felt something in his chest crumble. He pushed back the tears at the thought of owning his own pokemon, his own life partner and companion. His mother would be furious but this little fighting type could help him protect his friends and other kids. Could help him fight, help him be a better person maybe. Help him make his own decisions and fight back against his own demons. Taking in a shuddering breath that earned him an odd look from Ray, he sat down and watched at Mogar crawled into his lap, sitting contently. 

Ray felt his hands shaking as it got closer and closer to his name. The other two, while they had fallen into comfortable and familiar banter, seemed more subdued now that they had their companions, and despite trying to drag Ray into conversation, seemed to catch on that he wasn’t really willing to talk. Swallowing around the bile in his throat Ray finally stood as his name was called, and walked into the other room. Three pokeballs sat out, gleaming in the light, and he choked on a breath. He was going to have something of his own. Sure he had his suitcase at the Vega’s house, and his precious 3ds that was beaten up and worn from extensive use, but this was a live creature that would depend on him and be with him through thick and thin, after he moved again and after he lost all his friends.

Gavin and Michael were nice, but they weren’t pokemon who depended on him. He wiped his wet eyes on his sleeve and approached the three balls, checking the informational cards on each one. What he found….surprised him. He snatched up one of the pokeballs and with a sense of wonder, he popped the button. A shiny budew appeared in front of him, chirping and swaying happily. He laughed suddenly, breathless and startled, and picked up the small grass type. He was a fan of roses, especially ones as cool as this little baby, and he didn’t mind the thought of taking care of a baby pokemon and waiting for it to grow. Sure maybe it wasn’t the manliest or coolest pokemon, but he knew he’d love her all the same.

“Come on Rose….lame name but hey, what can you do?”

He walked back out with the Budew chirping in his arms, and a wide smile on his face. Gavin and Michael cried out triumphantly and dragged him into a conversation about type advantages, which Ray for once, gladly joined. The two boys were so intoxicating in this moment, animated and heated in a firm argument. Ray couldn’t help but laugh, and saw the two beaming at him. He felt his face flush and his chest tighten, he wouldn’t mind seeing those smiles more often. 

Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any ideas on what Geoff and Jack's pokemon could be named? Everyone else has names but otherwise....


End file.
